We are actively paving the way to a hydrogen future
Transitioning to a nationwide, climate-neutral hydrogen supply system is both an opportunity and a challenge. It is a mission we are happy to take on. We are already busy adapting our storage-related plant and equipment for hydrogen at various levels. But we are also contributing our in-house expertise to application-oriented research projects and are actively involved in various hydrogen-related associations and initiatives. Find out more on this page.
In preparation:
a new hydrogen storage facility
Over the next few years, we intend to build a new gas storage facility in Bad Lauchstädt that will be suited for storing 100 percent hydrogen.
Under review:
repurposing natural gas storage facilities
We are currently examining what measures will be needed to convert our existing natural gas caverns for storing hydrogen.
Under research:
admixing hydrogen to natural gas in our caverns
At the same time, we are looking into whether and how hydrogen could be admixed to the natural gas in our storage facilities in the future.
Developing innovative infrastructure: our research hotspot
Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt
Hydrogen research under real-life conditions is what the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park is all about. As a "living laboratory of the Energy Transition," the project is being funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) as part of the 7th Energy Research Program. The aim is to test the entire value chain of green hydrogen on an industrial scale for the first time – from intelligent production and storage to transportation, marketing and use.
Here, a large-scale electrolysis plant with a capacity of up to 30 MW produces green hydrogen using electricity generated by a nearby wind farm, The gas is fed into the hydrogen network of Central Germany’s chemical industry via a pipeline and will be used for urban mobility solutions going forward.
We are also setting up a calibratable, bi-directional system for measuring gas quantities and, together with the DBI Group, a gas-purification plant for 100% hydrogen. Also under investigation in our living laboratory is the possibility of finding more efficient and cost-effective hydrogen-processing methods. Such preliminary work will be essential when it comes storing hydrogen in cavern facilities. At the same time, it will allow us to help make Central Germany a technologically strong and future-oriented hydrogen region, while also fostering effective sector coupling throughout the nation.
"Green Octopus Mitteldeutschland -
GO Speicher!"
We also intend to test the repurposing of an existing cavern for hydrogen storage as part of an Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) known as Green Octopus Mitteldeutschland - GO Speicher! We want to make the most of this government-funded program to help make the European industrial sector and economy future-proof at the energy level. We have already submitted an application for notification.
Our goal: At our site in Bad Lauchstädt, we want to convert an existing cavern so that it can be used to store hydrogen in the future. But we also plan to rebuild the above-ground facilities and link them to the cavern via a connecting pipeline. We intend to place the hydrogen storage facility into regular operation and thus support the ramp-up of a green hydrogen market. This would be the first cavern in Germany with a holding capacity of up to 50 million Nm³ of hydrogen.
On 15 July 2024, 23 projects of the third IPCEI wave ‘Hy2Infra’ were approved by the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz. In this important step, we have officially received the funding approval for our planned hydrogen storage facility and thus the good news that the federal government will support the project until 2028. The prerequisite for the construction of the storage facility is now the final investment decision, taking into account all economic aspects.
Joining forces for faster progress: Our engagement in associations
Membership in the DWV
The German Hydrogen Association (DWV) is committed to the development of a green hydrogen market economy. Its focus is on creating an energy system that is climate-neutral, economical, socially acceptable and that can ensure reliable supplies. Drawing on its scientific expertise, the association champions the interests of its members – who represent the entire hydrogen value chain – in the political sphere and in civil society. We have been an active member of the DWV since 2024.
DWV - Deutscher Wasserstoff-Verband e.V.
New Membership: H2eart for Europe
In January 2024, a new hydrogen storage alliance was founded at the European level: H2eart for Europe. And we have been on board from the start. The association pools the interests and commitments of future hydrogen-storage operators across the EU. The alliance’s mission is to accelerate the decarbonization and flexibilization of the European energy system while minimizing the potential costs to society. Its members see the intelligent use of underground hydrogen-storage facilities as a key piece of this puzzle.